Overflow plumbing is commonly associated with basins for holding fluids. Overflow systems provide an access point for drain clean out and may help address substantial overfilling of the basin. Bathtubs, for example, employ overflow assemblies comprised of an overflow pipe that is associated with an outlet port of the bathtub and that is interconnected to a sidewall of the bathtub. An overflow plate conceals the outlet port. The overflow plate includes at least one fluid flow opening that allows water to flow from the bathtub to the overflow pipe if the need arises.
Often, it is desirous to change the look and feel of a bathroom. One way to accomplish this is to change plumbing fixtures associated with the bathtub, sink, etc. For example, one may want to replace an existing faucet and related plumbing components from a nickel-plated finish to a chrome plated finish, or vice versa. This task may seem simple, but it is often laborious and may require that all or portions of the plumbing system associated with the bathtub, sink, etc. be re-tested. For example, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,241 to Ball (“Ball I”), which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Ball I provides an overflow plumbing system having an overflow pipe that is associated with a bathtub having a cover plate interconnected to the overflow pipe by way of at least one fastener. The fasteners cooperate with bosses associated with the overflow pipe to hold the cover in place. The overflow system of Ball I is primarily aligned with the outer portion surface of the bathtub and requires an interconnected sleeve to engage an inner surface of the bathtub to secure the overflow pipe to the bathtub. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the aligning of the sleeve and the overflow pipe is difficult as the overflow pipe is located behind the bathtub wall and is, thus, out of view and difficult to access. Furthermore, interconnection of the screw to the bosses of the overflow pipe is difficult. These factors make replacing overflow plates commonly found in many bathrooms difficult, time consuming, and expensive.
This difficulty of replacing existing cover plates has been addressed by leaving it in place and concealing the same with a supplemental cover. For example, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,298 to Ball (“Ball II”), which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Ball II discloses a cover having a clip integrated on an interior surface thereof. To install, the clip is at least partially slid into a fluid opening associated with the existing overflow plate. The clip holds the replacement cover in place and conceals the existing plate while maintaining an opening that allows fluid to flow from the bathtub to the overflow pipe. One drawback with Ball II is that the clip may fail or the replacement cover may loosen over time, thereby allowing the cover to slip relative to the overflow plate which could mar the inner surface of the bathtub. Furthermore, the clip obstructs the fluid opening provided by the existing overflow plate, which may decrease fluid flow rate into the overflow pipe. Finally, the device of Ball II may not fit accommodate many overflow plates.
Thus, it is a long felt need to provide a device for concealing an existing overflow plate that is easy to install, does not interfere with the flow characteristics of the overflow system, and is universal in nature, i.e., concealing overflow plates of various shapes, sizes, and styles.